DEKALB, Ill. – Led by 27 points from senior guard
Mikayla Voigt (Slinger, Wis./Kettle Moraine Lutheran), the Northern Illinois University women's basketball team defeated the Eastern Michigan Eagles 70-60 at the NIU Convocation Center Wednesday night.
"I was really proud of our team because I thought our demeanor was really good for 40 minutes," said head coach
Lisa Carlsen. "We matched their physicality, and that's really tough to do against a team like Eastern. Even though we struggled a little bit offensively in the first half, I thought we were getting good shots and being aggressive in hopes that we would find our rhythm in the second half. We did a nice job on the glass and continued to battle for key rebounds, especially late in the game."
It was Voigt's 12
th game this season with at least 20 points. Three other Huskies scored in double figures Wednesday night.
Myia Starks (Plainfield, Ill./Nequa Valley) had 16 points, a season-high seven rebounds, three assists and three steals.
Ally May (Hartland, Wis./Arrowhead) recorded her fifth double-double of the season with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Gabby Nikitnaite (Orpington, Kent, UK/Coopers School) had 11 points for her third consecutive double-digit scoring game.
NIU (17-10, 9-6 MAC) got off to a strong defensive start, holding Eastern Michigan to two points in taking a 13-2 lead. It's the least amount of points the Huskies have allowed in a quarter since the 2015-16 season. NIU held the Eagles to 1-for-14 from the field and forced six turnovers. The Huskies opened the game on an 8-0 run, with May scoring the first four points, and held Eastern Michigan without a field goal for the first 6:22.
"Our coaches did a good job in preparing these guys for what Eastern was going to do," Carlsen said. "I thought our rotations were really good. We were able to rebound the basketball, so that gave us opportunities to make them take tough shots."
Eastern Michigan (12-14, 5-10 MAC) turned the tables on NIU in the second quarter, holding the Huskies to 2-for-12 from the field and 0-for-6 from the three-point line. NIU led 18-8 with 4:33 when a
Ninni Salmi (Kauhajoki, Finland/San Francisco) layup put the Huskies up by 10. It was the last NIU field goal in the half. The Eagles went on a 12-2 run over the next 3:32, with three-pointers by Corionne Cardwell and Natalia Pineda tying the game at 20. Voigt gave NIU a 22-20 halftime lead with a pair of free throws with 0:04 left.
The two sides came alive offensively in the third quarter. After trading baskets in the first four minutes to play to a 32-32 tie, NIU went on a 12-2 run to go up by eight. Voigt started the run with a layup and capped it with a three-pointer to put the Huskies ahead 42-34 with 3:18 remaining in the third. NIU outscored the Eagles 24-20 in the third to take a 46-40 lead.
"When we came out and were able to score in the third quarter, it was because we were sharing the basketball and taking better shots," said Voigt.
Eastern Michigan got as close as two points in the fourth quarter. Danielle Minott sparked an 8-2 Eagles run that made the score 54-52 with 4:53 remaining. The Huskies responded with 8-0 run of their own with a Voigt layup giving NIU a 62-52 lead with 2:43 to play in the game. Eastern Michigan only got as close as five points the rest of the way.
The Huskies' win moved NIU to 12-2 at the Convocation Center this season, and insured at least a first round home game in the Mid-American Conference tournament. NIU was 20-for-25 from the free throw line while Eastern Michigan was just 4-for-6. The Huskies scored 19 points off 19 Eagles turnovers. Courtnie Lewis led Eastern Michigan with 18 points.
"We really understand the importance of defending our home court, especially when it comes to going on the road in the MAC," Voigt said. "We're going to face some tough environments and tough teams, so we have to take care of business at home."
NIU goes on the road on Saturday, March 2 for a key MAC matchup against the Toledo Rockets. Tip-off at Savage Arena is at 1 p.m.
